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Old Deere Pull Type Combine Circa 1930's

Hello all
I grew up in the Kansas wheat country in the 50's and 60's helping my Dad farm with his RD6 and D2 cats, a McCormack WD9 Super and a Ford 8N. We used a Deere pull-type combine which had the gravity discharge on the grain tank. I remember it having a 16' header and a Hercules motor. The front wheel was mounted under a swivel arrangement for turning. I would like to know if anyone could tell me what model of combine this may have been, years of manufacture and any other info. Any photos of a similar machine would be awesome for this old farm boy.
Many thanks in advance.

John the combine in Kansas was probably a number 17 JD. He said the machine had gravity unload which they did. My parts books do not show gravity unload on any Holt or JD 36 models. The #17 had a 4 cyl. Hercules OX engine from '32-'36 and from '36 up a JXC Hercules as did the model 36 JD combine. The #17 had headers of 12', 16', 18'. The #17 had straw walkers instead of raddles like the 36JD. They were a 36" machine like the model 36. In 1948 we put walkers in our two 36 machines using #17 parts. My info comes from a master combine parts catalog #42-H effective May 15, 1938.

It is sure nice to hear someone who knows about these machines. I too noticed the gravity feed but thought that may have been an option. Glad to hear you have doc regarding that issue..

Which brings up another question, was there a level land 36? all of our machines had leveling devices.

Until 1958 when the 95H came out we had almost all pull machines in this area. The 95H set the death of pull machines almost overnight. So there are not many of us around that remember and know about Cat/combine combinations. I pulled a 36A with a D7 and many miles a 36B with a 9U.

Anyway Dick, thank you so much for the info. Just goes to show how localized we are here in the NW. I did not even know there was a 17, let alone one with a 36in cyl.

John, your question, yes there was a prairie model 36 with no leveler. I have an operators and parts manual for one. The cylinder on the 36 and most other combines of this type had cylinders much narrower than the seperator width. If my memory is correct the #36 cylinder was 30", someone will probably correct me if I am wrong. The Harris model 30 - 38 was a very similar combine and the numbers were the width of the cylinder and the seperator.

Guys,
I had given up on my original question so was surprised to see just now the comments above.http://www.flickr.com/photos/imrickndakota/6221392300/
I did a search on the model 36 and found the above. Our machine looked more like the one on the right in the picture. The gravity unload chute looks to be in the down position but could be folded up for clearance.http://www.ytmag.com/cgi-bin/viewit....st&th=25544%3E
Another search hit.
I remember being the "header tender" as a young boy who had his hands full when trying to raise the header with the "ships wheel". Dad would have to sometimes stop before going through a ditch to give me time to raise the header. I can still see him looking up at me from the RD6. He later mounted a hydraulic cylinder to raise and lower the header which was a major improvement. We sometimes used the D2 to pull the combine but going thru a wet draw meant getting stuck and having to hook a log chain between the combine and tractor to get going again.
Not to hijack my own thread here but I've watched a lot of videos of farming in the Palouse Region and have a question: Why are turf type tires used on many of the hillside combines? I would have thought that lug type tires would hold better on the extreme hillsides. Also, what keeps the soil from washing clean off those extreme slopes?

Guys,
I had given up on my original question so was surprised to see just now the comments above.http://www.flickr.com/photos/imrickndakota/6221392300/
I did a search on the model 36 and found the above. Our machine looked more like the one on the right in the picture. The gravity unload chute looks to be in the down position but could be folded up for clearance.http://www.ytmag.com/cgi-bin/viewit....st&th=25544%3E
Another search hit.
I remember being the "header tender" as a young boy who had his hands full when trying to raise the header with the "ships wheel". Dad would have to sometimes stop before going through a ditch to give me time to raise the header. I can still see him looking up at me from the RD6. He later mounted a hydraulic cylinder to raise and lower the header which was a major improvement. We sometimes used the D2 to pull the combine but going thru a wet draw meant getting stuck and having to hook a log chain between the combine and tractor to get going again.
Not to hijack my own thread here but I've watched a lot of videos of farming in the Palouse Region and have a question: Why are turf type tires used on many of the hillside combines? I would have thought that lug type tires would hold better on the extreme hillsides. Also, what keeps the soil from washing clean off those extreme slopes?

Before axial flow machines it was more important to keep the separator level while holding the machine on the hillsides. This was done by keeping the wheels parallel with the separator using what we called a 'swing frame". This meant the tires were not running in their bottom surface but on the edge, hence the 'rounded" thread.

According to my friend who worked for JD Harvester Works, JD quit building the "Hill Billy" because there were so few ordered as compared to total combine production.

So this left once again the problem of keeping the machine level to local shops. Since axial flow machines running level was not quite as critical they opted for a much less expensive way to level the machine. Gone was the "Swing Frame" and enter the solid axle. It cannot level quite as far as the swing frame machines but it is good enough. Now since the tires are always normal to the ground surface they do use "lug tires and more often than not duals or triples.

It has been a real problem over the years to perfect farming practices to preserve the soil on these hillsides. Today there is very little plowing in most areas and minimum till with very expensive machines are used.

Also I appreciate the heads up on cylinder/separator width. In all those years I never noticed that.

However in my minds eye I see the grain apron looking like it did not come to the edge of the sides so I shoulda got the hint.

There is a 36B just down the road so i must go look it over.

BTW, the tread "Farming with Steel Tracks" by North Idaho Farmer" Has pictures of the swing frame Self Propelled machines. The Youtube 36B video shows the seing frame on the 36B. The 36B only moved the outside(offside) wheel but the 36A moved both the header side and offside wheel.

I notice that the newer combines such as the 36B use what appears to be a header counterweight on a long "pole". Our 17 had, instead, a series of long heavy springs in a turret arrangement around a large threaded adjustment rod with a crank for adjusting the balance on the header. Another thing of interest, to me at least, is that our 17 had a header trailer. I don't recall ever transferring the header to the trailer, though, as most of our acres were within a couple miles of the home place. We didn't see header trailers again around here until a few years ago when the headers started getting up into the 24 ft plus range and were easily detachable for towing. Now we're seeing 35' and 40' headers and removal for transport is a necessity. The 24' headers that I remember, such as used on the JD 7700 series were a bear when cutting in terraced fields. Todays machines have such sophisticated leveling and counterbalance systems on the big headers that they work fairly well even in terraces.
I really appreciate your comments on the old machines, guys! It is a nostalgic trip down memory lane for sure.

I notice that the newer combines such as the 36B use what appears to be a header counterweight on a long "pole". Our 17 had, instead, a series of long heavy springs in a turret arrangement around a large threaded adjustment rod with a crank for adjusting the balance on the header. Another thing of interest, to me at least, is that our 17 had a header trailer. I don't recall ever transferring the header to the trailer, though, as most of our acres were within a couple miles of the home place. We didn't see header trailers again around here until a few years ago when the headers started getting up into the 24 ft plus range and were easily detachable for towing. Now we're seeing 35' and 40' headers and removal for transport is a necessity. The 24' headers that I remember, such as used on the JD 7700 series were a bear when cutting in terraced fields. Todays machines have such sophisticated leveling and counterbalance systems on the big headers that they work fairly well even in terraces.I really appreciate your comments on the old machines, guys! It is a nostalgic trip down memory lane for sure.

I too am thrilled to discuss these things with those who have been there.

With those counterbalance springs how did the torque get transferred. The reason for the counterweights was because the platform was in front of the header wheel. That left quite a bit of weight that need to be offset.

We have those big headers here now also with machine that have hundreds of HP. They harvest as much in an hour as we did in a day.

Harvest is so fast now we finish about the time the first of it was ready!